30 



The visible supplies stored in the enormous ware- 

 houses at the principal terminals of her grain fields are 

 duly registered and watched by hungry Europe. Chica- 

 go, St. Louis and Minneapolis have a combined storage 

 capacity of about three million tons. 



There are unmistakable signs, however, that the 

 United States with her rapidly increasing population, 

 will not be able to spare even the 25 per cent, of her 

 wheat and 5 per cent, of her maize, which is her average 

 contribution to the world's consuming markets, and it 

 is not too much to say that in the very near future she 

 must cease to be an exporter. 



This is a very important fact, to be considered, as 

 not only the increasing population of the world, but also 

 civilisation, means increased demands for breadstuff s. 



The trade in flour between the United States and the 

 Orient has been a striking feature of late years, and now 

 the actual building of flour mills in Japan and China is 

 very significant. 



In parts of Europe wheat flour is taking the place 

 of rye and in India the increased consumption is marked. 



There are no signs of a plethora in Food-stuffs, but 

 on the other hand every encouragement is held out to 

 Argentina for the cultivation of her virgin lands; it is 

 a debt to Nature which she must acquit to the full to 

 meet the world 's demands . 



At the same time she must not fail in common jus- 

 tice to defend the producer and the products by the 

 equipment of storage facilities for that mobilization of 

 stocks, and the institution of uniformity in commercial 

 customs, and generally to encourage the adoption of re- 

 cognised principles and methods which are indispensable 

 to the economical -development of a country. 



From the storage point of view, the cost of the re- 

 medy is insignificant in comparison to its colossal im- 

 portance. 



It can be taken as a basis that one million pounds 

 sterling will provide permanent storage for one million 

 tons of cereals, and it is to be hoped that the day is not 

 far distant when the call to arms will be made to find 

 the sinews of war to defend the Crop for the public wel- 

 fare in the promotion of Public Storage Companies, under 

 economical administration obtaining adequate return 

 over expenditure to provide for their effective mainten- 

 ance and operation, and to attract capital for continuance 

 and extension. 



When that day comes, as it must, Argentina may then 

 justly lay claim to the proud title "The World's Gra- 

 nary." 



